Mr. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighbourhood

7

"Sorry, no smoking allowed here," Florence said with a polite smile, reminding him of the office policy.

Wade gestured apologetically, elegantly putting away his cigarette and lighter. "Force of habit, hard to break."

"I understand. Case work can be stressful, and smoking can be a release, but too much can be harmful to your health."

"Appreciated. I'll keep that in mind."

Just then, Toni brought in the coffee, setting it before the guest with a subtle glance at the dashing Wade, then handing a cup of water to Florence. She gave Florence a suggestive look, hinting that this man was a catch she should not miss.

Florence shot her a look that clearly said to mind her own business. It seemed everyone around her, from her colleagues to the security guards, became overly eager at the sight of a decent man, more eager than she ever was, often pushing her to make a move, which left her both amused and frustrated.

"Thank you, that will be all for now," she signaled Toni to leave with her eyes.

Once Toni left, Florence took a sip of her water, noticing Wade's puzzled look and explained, "I don't drink coffee."

"No smoking, no coffee, no wonder your skin looks so healthy."

Florence sensed his admiration, a woman's intuition, familiar with being the subject of men's affections. However, she wasn't interested in romance until she was sure someone truly understood and supported her aspirations.

"You mentioned you wanted to discuss the details of last night's incident?" she steered the conversation back to business.

Wade nodded, "In the police report, you mentioned the attackers were incapacitated by you, losing their memory, correct?"

"Yes."

"There was no one else around besides you?"

"...Yes." She hesitated for a second before answering but felt Wade's skepticism.

"Are you absolutely sure it was just you and those men?"

"It was late, and the streetlights were dim. I was only thinking about how to escape. I didn't notice anyone else."

Wade fell into thought, making Florence wonder what he was trying to confirm.

"In the report, you said one of the assailants suddenly became disoriented, is that right?"

"Yes."

"Is it possible..." Wade leaned in, his tone serious, "they were under some kind of hypnosis?"

His earnest expression made her realize. "If I could hypnotize, I would've handled the assailants myself without needing to call the police."

"No, you misunderstand. I'm not questioning you. I'm suggesting this incident might be related to a man with red eyes."

"Red-eyed man?" Her heart skipped a beat, surprised to hear about such a person from Wade. Could he also know about the existence of vampires?

"I suspect the attackers were under the influence of a man with red eyes, wearing red contact lenses, pretending to be a vampire, using hypnosis to make his minions forget key details, making it hard for us to track him down."

No, that's not right! She was certain the man was a real vampire.

"I've been tracking him for a while, hoping to catch this ruthless killer."

"Killer?" A chill ran down her spine.

Wade's expression darkened. "This individual has committed atrocities across states and is a top priority for us to bring to justice."

Did he really kill? But why didn't she see him as a bad person?

Florence intuitively felt he wasn't a heartless killer. Last night, he hadn't harmed anyone... The memory of his looming presence and his claim over her caused her cheeks to warm.

No, she scolded herself, where were her thoughts wandering?

"Sorry, that's all I know." She decided to remain silent, given the disparity between her knowledge and Wade's assumptions.

"If you learn anything about this man, please contact me," Wade said before leaving, pausing to give her one last meaningful look.

After he left, Toni burst in, eager for details.

"How did it go?"

Toni's expression reminded Florence of matchmakers she'd seen in movies, making her laugh.

"We were discussing work."

"Isn't he handsome in person?"

"You know him?"

"Who doesn't? That's Agent Wade, a big deal at the FBI, known for cracking tough cases. He's been awarded by the president himself, it was on TV. Don't tell me you didn't know."

Florence was unfazed, leaving Toni in disbelief.

"You really didn't know?"

Florence shrugged. "Now I do."

"And?"

"And what?"

"He's single, handsome, and shares a similar line of work. You two would be perfect."

Turns out, Toni was playing matchmaker. Florence replied, "Are you bored, or is your workload too light? Unfortunately, I'm not interested in dating right now; I just want to focus on my work."

"But I can tell he's interested in you."

"Thanks, but I'm not interested."